Tennis racket



June 12, 19340 F, B, ANDREWS 1,962,701

TENNI S RACKET Filed Aug. 19, 1951 INVENTOR "77 a dear/ck B. Ana/news Patented June 12, 1934 PATENT OFFICE TENNIS RACKET Frederick B. Andrews, Yonkers, N. Y. Application August 19, 1931, Serial No. 558,079

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in the construction of tennis rackets and their method of stringing.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a tennis racket in which broken strings may be easily replaced, effectively tightened and securely locked in place, and to this end the invention comprehends in its specific embodiment one or more frame recesses or indents for receiving anchoring plates so that the outside face of the plate lies flush with the racket frame to preserve its conventional contour, the anchoring place serving to tighten the string on rotation of the plate and anchor it when the plate is seated in the indent.

While one embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing accompanying this application and forming part thereof, it is to be understood that such embodiment is merely illustrative of the underlying principles of the invention so as to afford a clear understanding thereof to those skilled in the art and is not intended as limiting the invention to the specific form disclosed therein.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the frame of a tennis racket embodying the improvements of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view of the racket frame, partly in section, to show the manner of stringing, and.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the fragment shown in Fig. 2.

Referring more specifically to the accompanying drawing, a tennis racket 10 has a handle 11 and frame 12. The frame 12 has a plurality of conventional string passages or bored openings to accommodate the transverse and longitudinal strings 15. Some of the string passages have counterbores 16 at their outer ends to seat a knotted string end 1'7.

The periphery of the frame 12 has a plurality of indents 18 to receive and firmly seat string anchor plates, the anchor plates having oppositely disposed end slots 19 and 20, one of which, such as 20, has a seat 22 on the inside of the anchor plate to receive a knotted string end 23.

In order to string the racket, string 15 is knotted at 1'7 and its opposite end is pulled through one of the string passages 13 until the knot 1'7 is seated as in Fig. 2. The end of the string is then threaded through the proper string passages (not shown) provided in the opposite side of the frame and passed back to the first side of the frame. In order to tighten the string 15', it is wedged in the slot 20 of the anchor plate and held in place by knot 23. The anchor plate is then completely turned over so that the slot 20 is over the seat 16, the anchor plate being manipulated during the turning operation so that the leg of string 15 passing through passage 14 is caught in the clearance provided by slot 19. By pulling the knotted end across the anchor plate through overturning the latter, the string is tightened. It is evident that by varying the distance of the knot 23 from the anchor plate in its initial position, the tension of the string 15' may be varied as desired. Sufficient slack in string 15 by properly locating the knot is desirable so that the anchor plate may be turned over with ease. I

Once the anchor plate is inverted and seated, the fairly snug fit of the plate in its seat prevents reverse movement.

While the anchor plate may be completely inverted as above indicated for creating the maximum pull; it is self evident that the initial position of the plate is a matter of choice depending on the position of the knot 23 and the slack in the string.

For a clear understanding the anchor plate is assumed to initially take the position which would be arrived at by rotating the plate possibly 110 degrees in a clockwise direction about its lower end from the position shown in Fig. 2. If the string is initially pulled taut and the knot 23 properly placed, a counter clockwise rotation of the anchor plate will effectively tighten the string.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A string anchor plate for tennis rackets, comprising a rigid, substantially rectangular plate, curved to substantially conform to the curvature of a tennis racket frame, and provided with slots extending inwardly from two opposite sidesthereof, and having a depression on its inner surface at the terminal of one of the said slots, such depression being adapted to accommodate the knot at the end of a racket string.

2. A string anchor plate for tennis rackets, comprising a rigid, substantially rectangular plate provided with slots extending inwardly from two opposite sides thereof, the distance between the terminals of such slots being equal to the distance between two string passages in the racket frame, and having a depression on its inner surface at the terminal of one of such slots, the said depression being adapted to accommodate the knot at the end of a racket string.

3. A tennis racket having a frame and strings, 

